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Anxiiety

Control Election Anxiety to Avoid Suffering from Mental Health Problems

By Simon Mwangi

Most people, especially those who cast their votes in the just concluded general elections, are literally on the edge of their seats especially when announcements about the results began streaming in. Generally speaking, anxiety levels among voters are on an all-time high as figures keep changing.

A survey conducted by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) found that fifty-two percent of Americans said the election “is a very or somewhat significant” source of stress in their lives. This could proceed well beyond the election period and affect other aspects of people’s lives.

Anxiety is a usual reaction to stress and can be useful in some situations. It can serve as an alert to dangers and helps in preparation and paying attention. Anxiety disorders differ from normal feelings of nervousness or anxiousness and involve excessive fear or uneasiness. These disorders are the most common of mental illnesses, and according to the APA, they affect approximately thirty percent of adults at some point in their lives.

Seeing that anxiety disorder is a mental health disease, people respond to certain things and situations with distress and trepidation. Although it is normal for an adult to suffer from this disorder once in a while based on their exposure to varying issues in their environments, there are some signs that point to the need to seek help.

For instance, if it interferes with the ability to function or the victim cannot control their response to situations then there is need to seek help. As Kenyans await the announcement of results by the relevant bodies, a human rights groups warned anxious Kenyans over “rising levels of false or misleading information being shared on social media”. This is one of the triggers to anxiety disorders to various people involved in the electoral process.

Among the most effective ways to avoid anxiety disorders during this period is to avoid dwelling too much on that which is beyond control. This is mainly supported by the scientific fact that when anxiety disorders kick in most victims think of worst case scenarios thus impairing their thinking and problem solving abilities.

Staying away from heightened and sustained mainstream and social media consumption during this specific period is also one of the ways through which to minimize stress and thus reduce chances of anxiety disorders kicking in. too much exposure to misinformation and disinformation creates an opportune environment for stressful situations which eventually degenerate to anxiety disorders.

A steady diet of calamitous news, especially when you can’t do much about it, is bad for your health. Information that creates panic, fear and stress triggers a composite bodily reaction. Your heart rate and blood pressure spike and stress hormones start to flood. It’s hard to rest, to sleep, to focus and to breathe.

Post-election anxiety can be particularly difficult for people when the candidate they supported doesn’t win. In fact, they may face even more strain on their mental health if they live in an environment that supported their candidate.

Published by:
Daily Nation, The Standard and Star 15th August 2022,